DeVivo: Pick four play for Saratoga for Monday, Aug. 24

A pair of maiden routes to begin and end the pick four sequence look like good places to focus on non-favorites, especially the ninth race for New York-bred maiden claimers going nine furlongs on turf.

Race 6: CAPTAIN TIM (#4, 5-1) will be a far better price than he was when he was knocked around at the start as the 9-5 favorite in his East Coast debut. He deserves another chance, based on his good performance in a fast maiden race in California. PRODIGAL (#2, 20-1) looks ready for vast improvement for his second career start. Note how well he worked out (47.20 seconds, second best of 74), presumably with the new blinkers he dons for his dirt debut. ALL RISE (#1, 5-2) is logical adding Lasix following a wide trip and his jockey losing his whip, but I’m reluctant to start off any pick three or pick four ticket with the favorite, so I will use him only defensively as a backup. GODREVY (#5, 8-1) looks like a live longshot making his second route start for Tom Albertraini, who is 4 for 12 with that angle with maiden special weight runners back in less than 30 days.

Race 7: READTHEPROSPECTUS (#5, 3-1) returns to turf for the first time since winning his maiden in October 2012 and runs for a tag for the first time. He’s a must use for Chad Brown, who shows a 6-for-20 record (30 percent) with a $3.52 return on investment with horses like this one switching from dirt to turf routes following a break of 61 to 180 days. In addition, Irad Ortiz Jr. is 10 for his last 19 riding for Brown. WILDNITEATTHEOPERA (#7, 5-1) is intriguing after a good second in his turf debut.

Race 8: I’m standing against 9-5 morning-line favorite Tiz So Sweet, who easily won her first start in more than a year. She regressed off a similar easy victory the last time she was in this situation. My picks are MONTANA NATIVE (#4, 7-2), who won a similar minor stakes at the Spa two summers ago, and SAMANTHA NICOLE (#5, 6-1), who gets a rider switch to John Velazquez following an extremely wide trip in a six-horse field last time out and comes from the barn of Kiaran McLaughlin, who has been on a 7-for-12 roll.

Race 9: I don’t like either of the first two choices on the morning line in what looks like a wide-open race. CONFESSA (#7, 6-1) and HOPE’S ROAR (#10, 5-1) were both up close at the stretch call of their most recent races and either could win with just a modest move forward. JUSTENUFFDIOR (#4, 6-1) was far back in her two previous tries on grass, but has a license to improve with the move into Bruce Levine’s barn.

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